People of all ages thronged water bodies across Odisha on the occasion of Kartik Purnima on Tuesday and floated miniature boats to commemorate the ancient maritime history of Kalinga.
Water bodies from ponds to sea beaches wore a colourful look as people ranging from children to the elderly observed the tradition of 'Boita Bandana' or worship of boats on the occasion. They also placed lit 'diyas' (earthen lamps) and kept betel leaves and nuts on the miniature boats.
The annual ritual was observed with much enthusiasm after two years sans COVID restrictions. Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were among several dignitaries who greeted people. As the day coincided with lunar eclipse, people completed the rituals before 5.50 am in accordance with the Hindu almanac.
Huge congregations were seen at Gadagadia ghat of Mahanadi river in Cuttack and Bindu Sagar tank near Shree Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar. The festival is also celebrated in a big way in Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, where the sibling deities Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath adorn golden attire, also known as 'Raja Rajeswari Bhesa'.
The boat floating tradition celebrates the ancient maritime history of Kalinga when traders, called 'Sadhabas', used to embark on voyages to islands in southeast Asia as Java, Sumatra and Bali for business. When the traders went on a voyage, their family members performed 'Boita Bandana' for their safe return.
"Even though traders from Odisha no longer go on voyages to other countries on wind-powered boats, Odias continue to celebrate the spirit of Kalinga's past glory by symbolically floating miniature boats on water bodies," Asit Mohanty, a researcher of Odisha's culture and tradition, said.
While a majority of boats are now made of paper and thermocol, people earlier used banana stems and coconut sticks for the purpose. Kartik Purnima marks the end of the holy month of Kartik. The devout consume only vegetarian food during the month, which is considered the most auspicious time in the Odia calendar.
Even though Kartik Purnima is celebrated in many other states, the tradition of floating of miniature boats is unique to Odisha, Mohanty said, adding that the day is also observed as the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev.
(With PTI inputs)
